


Children Give Us a Chance

by Redthebookworm



Category: Marvel
Genre: Adoption, M/M, idk if i really want to do character tags, its basically everyone - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-05-17 02:26:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 18,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14823464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redthebookworm/pseuds/Redthebookworm
Summary: Tony Stark is 30 in 2000, in his prime both body and career wise, when an old friend knocks on his door to ask for a monumental favor. Peter Parker is 4 when his parents leave him with a family friend while they take care of important "business." In this world, Peter's life is thrown upside down as he is raised by a man riddled with insecurity and doubt instead of being given to Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Hopefully this changes them both for the better.





	1. Prologue: Fateful Night

**Author's Note:**

> Okay. I just want to clear up some stuff before I get started.  
> This is going to be a stitched up chaotic mess. I am taking things from the comic verse, cinematic verse, and making things up on my own because the glorious fact about comic books and their verses is that anyone can make their own.  
> Peter will be born in the year 1996 so he'll be 22 by the time of Infinity War (2018).  
> I am taking Wade's original birth date (1991), so he will be 27 by the time of Infinity War (2018).  
> Richard (from my five seconds of research) does not have a confirmed birth year, so I figured I'd just take Tony's (1970), so they're the same age.  
> The Peter Parker I'm using is going to be written in my own image, although I will take inspiration from the many various versions of him.  
> This is going to be a very, very long fic. Those of you who have read my other ones, you already know to be patient with me, because I only write when I'm in the mood. I don't want to force it and end up with something I'm not satisfied with, so this will be a long fic that will most likely take a VERY long time to finish. Please bear with me throughout this process. I really appreciate all of you guys. <3

“Sir, there is someone knocking at the door.”

“Tell em to beat it, Jarvis, I’m a little busy.” Tony muffled in response as he dove his nose into the blonde stranger’s neck. The brunette on the other side pulled at his arm and made whining noises, which low-key annoyed him and almost caused him to scoff. There was enough Stark to go around.

“It is Richard Parker, and he says it is extremely urgent.” Tony rolled his eyes and attempted to sit up, only to be pulled back down by two sets of arms. A chuckle escaped his throat as the two felt his body and nipped at his throat.

“Jarvis, I’m busy-”

“Richard is on his way to your room, Sir. He used his bypass to override your demands and unlock the front door. He has his wife and child with him as well, so you might want to make yourself presentable.” The man groaned and pushed the people off of him, barely able to jump out of the bed before they pulled him back in. He reached down and haphazardly threw their clothes at them, and had just enough time to reach his door before Richard could kick it down.

When Tony opened the door, he was ready to chastise Richard since he knows better than to show up unannounced (especially with his family), but the words caught dead in this throat when he saw the three people in front of him. Richard was heaving and sweating, like he had to run five thousand miles to get there. His clothes were thrown on, his button down not even tucked in, and his eyes were wild. Mary didn’t look much better. Her face was tight, her eyes looked numb to the world and her hair was falling out of a poor attempt at a ponytail. Tony felt his eyebrows furrow and his eyes eventually fell to the boy standing at maybe three foot four between his parents. He was clutching a blanket and had a dinosaur backpack strapped to him. He seemed to be wavering as he stood, his brain constantly shifting from sleep to consciousness. Tony tore his eyes from the boy and stepped out of his room, making sure to firmly shut the door behind him. He felt his shoulders tense as he leaned in close to Richard and Mary, and put his hands on each of their shoulders to direct them to the sitting room.

“What happened?” he tried to push them forward, but they both stayed still as statues. He felt his heart start racing and his palms begin to sweat.

“We don’t have much time. Remember all of those favors I did for you? Well, I’m cashing in for a giant one. We need you to watch over Peter while we’re gone." Richard nodded his head down towards Peter as if Tony needed any more clarification on who that was.

“Wow, back up here. “Gone?” Gone where? And why are you leaving him with _me?_ You know how much of an irresponsible person I am--I can barely take care of myself!” Tony threw his hands out in exaggeration and gave them a “you know I’m right” look. They were seriously out of their minds if they thought Tony Stark, brilliant owner of a _weapon_ manufacturing industry, could take care of a four year old child.

“Peter, sweetie, you’re going to be staying here with Uncle Tony for some time while Mommy and Daddy go take care of important business, okay?” Mary ignored Tony and whispered while she pushed the boy forward to him. He looked up at the man through blurry eyes and simply reached his hand out, making a demanding grabby motion. Tony looked at the boy and Mary incredulously before relinquishing one of his hands to the small child. Peter latched onto it, and started to sleepily lean against his leg. Normally his heart would warm at such a cute sight, but instead it plummeted to the depths of his stomach. He couldn’t take care of Peter. He would corrupt the child somehow; he didn’t have a good father figure to take example from, he would do it all wrong. He looked at Mary and Richard, wrecked with their despair to find someone suitable to watch over their son.

“You’ll be fine, Tony. And I can’t tell you where we’re going, neither of you can know.” Richard looked down at his son and his eyes softened. He knelt down by the child, and put his hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, Pete. Mommy and Daddy love you, okay? I know we already went through this at home, but just know this is for the best.” Richard gave Peter a kiss on the head and stood up. He nodded to Mary, and they began to move for the front door.

“Wait, hold on, you can’t just leave me with your child! What about Ben?” Tony tried to move after them, but Peter clung to him tightly. He let out a noise of exasperation before picking up the kid in his arms, and chasing after his parents.

Richard didn’t bother to stop as he spoke to Tony.

“I can’t do that to Ben and May, not right now. They can’t even afford to have their own child, let alone take care of mine.” He had reached the door, and signalled for Mary to go out first. He turned around and looked at Tony, no longer the cunning and strong secret agent he was, but a broken father.

“Please, Tony. You can take him to Ben when he’s older if you want, but for right now, just please look over him. I wouldn’t ask you to do this for me if I had thought you couldn’t do it.” Tony was struck hard by the genuineness in Richard's tone. He opened his mouth in a sorry attempt to argue, but no words came out as he stared at his friend. His gaze went to the now sleeping child in his arms and he could feel tears pricking at the back of his eyes. The pressure was too much, he couldn’t take care of a child; not with what his work is tied into and how career focused he was. Yet he felt his eyes close as he gritted his teeth, his mind signalling an alarm that he was about to make a mistake.

“Okay, fine. Just make sure to come back soon.” Tony sighed, his shoulders sagging under the weight of exhaustion. He was up and perky moments ago before he had people randomly appear at his house looking for somewhere to drop their son off, and his adrenaline kicked in. Now that energy was slowly leaving his body. He looked at Richard with tired eyes as the man clapped a hand on the shoulder that wasn’t being used as Peter’s pillow.

“We’ll try our best. Thank you, Tony.” Then the man was out the door and gone, the reality of what just happened crashing down on Tony’s head.

“Jarvis, make sure that my guests are shown the way out the back door ASAP. Is the guest room with the amazing view and own bathroom clean? I can’t remember the last time I’ve been in there,” Tony spoke robotically, trying his best not to lose his cool. His legs moved towards the side of the house with the room in question on their own, Peter slightly shifting from the movement before passing out again. It was only a few moments before the AI responded.

“The guests are gone, Sir. The room is immaculate and ready for use, I opened the vents to remove the staleness of the air.” Usually Tony could tell what the AI thought from the tone Jarvis used, but now he had no idea.

“Thank you, Jarvis. You really are man’s best friend.” He joked, but Jarvis knew Tony meant it. He walked to the room that was now Peter’s, gently setting the boy down on the king sized bed.

He had time to notice more things, like how dark circles were beginning to form under the boy’s eyes and that Peter was in his Spongebob pajamas. The blanket Peter was clutching was royal blue with golden fluffy, cartoonish lions on them. The underside seemed to be baby blue colored fluff. After analyzing the blanket, he realized he should get the backpack off the boy’s back before leaving him in bed. He should probably take his shoes off too.

“Hey, kid. I need you to wake up for a second to take the bag off. And your shoes,” he helped Peter lazily sit up long enough to peel the bag off, and he set it down on the floor by the end of the bed. The kid flopped down and immediately fell back asleep, his soft snores filling the room. Tony gently took off the boy's shoes and set them by the bag. Then he sat there for a while, contemplating what he was even doing before he settled Peter underneath the comforter and leaving to his own room. Only a half hour or so before, he was going to have an amazing threesome, and now he was a father. Well, not really, but technically.

Tony rubbed his face hard before changing into some sleep clothes, and falling unceremoniously to bed and using sleep as an escape from the uncertainty of his new reality. He really hoped Mary and Richard would come back soon.

Unbeknownst to him at that moment, that night would be the last time he and Peter would see those two alive.


	2. The Day After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [balls up everything that's canon and basketball throws it into a trashcan] y'all are in my canon now  
> This is the most I've ever really written for a fic so early on, the heck. Also, thank you for all the comments and kudos. I really appreciate each and every single one of you beautiful human beings who take a moment out of your day just to read this. <3

Tony woke up slowly. His hearing came before anything else; there was the low thrum throughout the house that he was so used to. He became aware of the soft pillow he was snuggled into, his arms wrapped tightly around it. Then he felt his blanket over his shoulders and tucked under his legs. His muscles were relaxed and he felt so incredibly warm. In fact, his left side felt a little  _t_ _oo_ warm.

Tony lifted his head and rubbed the blurriness out of his eyes, only to see with clear vision the small child curled up next to him. Peter looked like a ball, and his blanket was held in a death grip. Tony wasn’t exactly sure how to handle the situation, so he slipped out as stealthily as he could so he didn’t disturb the child. He stood there for a few seconds as he stared with a baffled look in his eyes before leaving the room and heading down towards the kitchen.

“Jarvis, when did he get in there?” he asked as he went about his routine to make his morning protein shake. It was part of his diet, and as he watched the green liquid blend around, he realized he couldn’t give a protein shake to a kid. What do kids even eat? What should they eat? Fruit? Tony had fruit. What about eggs? Did Tony even know how to cook a well balanced breakfast? Should Tony learn how to? He wasn’t entirely sure how long the kid was going to be staying with him, he could be gone tomorrow or he could be there for years. If it was anything like the latter, he would definitely need to learn how to cook. Would Tony watch over the kid for years? Or eventually hand him off to Ben if it looked like it would become years? That couldn’t be healthy for the kid, being passed around from person to person. He’ll probably already develop abandonment issues from his parents, there’s no need to make him think he wasn’t wanted by anyone in general. All of the thinking gave Tony a headache and he turned off the blender, setting his hands against the counter and leaning against it.

Memories from the night before surfaced and Tony cringed at how dramatic he had been acting. It was like he thought Richard and Mary were going to die, which was possible considering their line of work, but he knew they wouldn’t. They were smart, cunning, and had a kid at home. Whatever trouble they were in, they had probably dealt with worse. 

“Approximately an hour after you went to bed. He had asked me if there were any step stools present in order to climb into bed with you. I attempted to convince him to stay in his own bed, but he was set on snuggling with you, Sir.” Tony felt a small burst of affection for the boy as Jarvis spoke to him, but the feeling was mostly masked by awkwardness. Do kids normally do that?

His thoughts were interrupted as Tony heard faint footsteps down the stairs that indicated Peter was awake. He turned around to see the kid clutching to his blanket, and rubbing his eyes. When he was done, he squinted up at the man.

“I’m hungry. I want food.” he stated simply, and Tony’s eyebrows shot up. Since when were four year olds so demanding?

“What do you want?”

Peter looked slightly taken back, like he didn’t think he’d get that far. He looked around the kitchen and hummed in thought before turning back to Tony.

“I want a cookie.”

Tony almost laughed at that.

“Kid, it’s like eight in the morning. If you want a cookie, you need to eat real food first and wait till later,” he crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the child. Tony was the same as a kid, his mother had to bargain with him in order to eat healthy and be good. He was sure the same tactic could be applied to Peter.

Before he could know if that was true or not, the kid was squinting and then he was gripping his head with his tiny hand in pain. He let out a small whimper, and Tony felt his stomach drop to the floor. Had he already failed? What if Richard kicked down the door right now and saw this? He would actually murder Tony.

“Hey, hey. What’s wrong?” he walked over and crouched down, gently putting the back of his hand to Peter’s forehead. He didn’t know if that was what he was supposed to be doing, but his mom always did that whenever Tony didn’t feel well.

“My glasses,” Peter’s voice was so small and sad, Tony felt his heart race a little in panic. What was he supposed to do? Did they leave so fast that they forgot to grab Peter’s glasses? Tony could probably make glasses down in the lab, it shouldn’t be that hard. Could Jarvis be programmed to check eye prescriptions and make glasses? Tony was a weapon manufacturer, a staple with great influence over the government and military, and a four year old was causing him to lose his shit over making a pair of glasses. He really needed to get it together.

“Sir, it could be possible his glasses are located in his backpack.” Jarvis spoke out with his cool voice, immediately pulling Tony back to the real world from his jumbled thoughts.

“Obviously, that’s where I was going to go look,” Tony spoke out with his usual cocky attitude, him and Jarvis knowing full well that his real destination was going to be the lab where he would create glasses. He grabbed Peter, and set him on a chair by the kitchen island.

“Close your eyes and stay here, okay? I’m going to get your glasses,” he awkwardly patted Peter’s back and went to the guest room across the house. When he got there, he opened the bag to find it packed with some clothes, Peter’s important documents (as well as a notarized paper saying Tony was Peter’s temporary guardian), and a glasses case. Bingo. Tony put the clothes back, and set the bag down before leaving. As he walked back to Peter, he looked at the documents in his hand. Peter’s birth certificate, his social security card, a passport, and the paper stating Tony was his legal guardian for an indefinite amount of time. Just how long were they planning on leaving the poor child with the man? What about school?

That question caused Tony to stop dead in his tracks, only half way through his journey back to the kitchen. He felt the color drain from his face as the cold realization snuck up on him.

“Jarvis, what year do kids go into preschool and kindergarten?”

“Children can be enrolled as young as two and a half in preschool, Sir, and typically enter kindergarten at age five.”

Two and a half?! The kid was four! Doesn’t that mean he should be in preschool? Is that a thing children need to do? Was Tony even in preschool? It would certainly be a good distraction for the kid, keep his mind off his parents, and prepare him for kindergarten. It would also give Tony the ability to still focus on his job without worrying about a kid at home.

“Look up the best preschool academies in the area and get me the data after breakfast. And give Potts a call, tell her what’s happening. Maybe she’ll know what to do with the kid,” amidst all the chaos, Tony had actually forgotten about Potts until now. If anyone would know what to do, it would be his right hand woman.

With everything semi figured out, Tony started his way back to the kitchen again. When he got there, he set the glasses down by Peter and patted his arm to let him know he was back. He set the documents on the counter and watched as an extremely small drone Jarvis piloted grabbed the papers, and floated downstairs to his lab.

Tony turned around to face the kid again, and sighed. What do you feed kids?

One food montage and an almost temper tantrum later, Tony convinced Peter to eat some eggs, grapes, and some slices of an orange. As they sat across each other at the island, Tony with his shake and Peter with his food, some questions started popping into Tony’s head.

“How did you guys get all the way over here? Didn’t you live in New York?” he leaned forward and watched as Peter’s face went to one of complete concentration as he thought.

“Helichopter!” Tony snorted at that and almost sent protein shake going out of his nose.

“I think you mean helicopter, kid. You must have rented a car or something after you touched land, and rushed over here. Were you in school back home?” again, Peter munched down on his food and looked incredibly focused. His nose scrunched up and his eyes were slightly magnified by the glasses on his face.

“Where I learned my ABC’s? Yeah, but not anymore,” his voice turned quiet at the end and he silently ate his breakfast without adding anymore. Tony felt his eyes go soft and he reached over to pat Peter’s arm.

“How would you feel going to school here? Just until your parents get back. You’ll make tons of new friends!” it was another moment when Tony didn’t know if what he was doing was right, considering he didn’t know Peter and if he would like that, or when Richard and Mary would be back. Would enrolling him in school just for the possibility of being immediately unenrolled worth it?

One of his fears was quelled when Peter suddenly beamed and nodded enthusiastically. Great, now he just needed to go through the process of getting the kid in school! That shouldn’t be too hard, right?

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It was unbelievably hard, even Pepper being there didn’t help. Tony only had Peter for two days when he went to enroll the kid and leave him with strangers, and he began to understand why parents cried leaving their children at school. He saw the lost look in the kid’s eyes, how he immediately turned back to stare at Tony with a look saying "help me" before he grabbed the teacher’s hand and walked away on wobbly legs. He stared at the kid’s dinosaur backpack, hoping and praying that Peter would be safe from danger at the school Tony had picked. The emotional toll was surprising to Tony and he had to remind himself to stand stoically, he had an image to keep up. He was a cocky billionaire. Not a soft pillow full of feelings and an unwarranted growth of affection for a boy named Peter Parker.

 


	3. The News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peter doesn't have a confirmed birthday???? What?

That day had been a whirlwind for excitement as Peter came home tired from school, but also bursting with stories to tell about the friends he made and the pictures he drew.  They also shaped ground rules that set the structure of the house, like Peter calling Tony “Uncle Tony” or just his name.

Nearly two years had passed blissfully since that first day of school, Peter now being in first grade and shaping into his personality. He was an awkward boy with a brilliant mind, always asking Tony engineering questions and general questions about the world that sometimes even Tony didn’t know how to answer (including the baby talk. He had Pepper handle that one). Peter eventually asked of his parents less and less, although Tony knew that the boy constantly thought of them. Tony did too. Every day he checked his phone, his secret phone, his emails, his secret emails, asked Jarvis for any updates about Peter’s parents, and every day he was met with the same outcome; radio silence.

It wasn’t until Christmas night that they received any news. Although it would be easy for Tony to be extravagant for the holidays, he got a scolding lecture from Pepper two years ago about keeping the kid down to earth and not spoiled like how Tony was. So, Tony would pick ten things from Peter’s list and get them, and then litter some other smaller gifts in there. Pepper had given him parenting manuals other the years and while they laughed about them, he would wear his reading glasses before bed and made sure to take some tips, and it honestly helped. He was learning how to swallow his ego and do childish things now and again to appease the kid, and it gave him a small golden warmth in his heart. Sometimes that warmth would get twisted as he thought about how he hadn’t had the opportunity to have such a good father figure and about the whereabouts of Richard and Mary, but he would always push those thoughts aside and kindle the lost warmth by making Peter happy.

Wrapping paper was littered all around Peter, a santa hat that was too big for his head was leaned over to the side. He was hugging his new stuffed lion when there was an unecpected knock at the door. Anxiety and excitement mixed inside of Tony at the idea of who it could be. Of course Richard would wait until Christmas night to make his grand appearance.

“Jarvis, who is it?”

“Two agents, Sir. Unidentified.” Tony’s eyebrows furrowed and the excitement was quickly beat down by a strong surge of dread. He felt slightly nauseous as he thought about what that could mean, and he looked at Pepper who was sitting on the other end of the couch.

“Can you stay here with Peter?”

“Yeah, of course, Tony.” She slid from the couch and wrapped her arms around Peter, talking about the lion and what he wanted to name it. Tony felt his heart shatter when he heard a small “Richard” as he walked away. Peter already had a different stuffed lion named Mary.

He opened the door slowly to find two identical looking agents. Their suits were clean and perfect, and they had shades on even though it was dark outside. Was that really necessary?

“Anthony Stark, we’re here to deliver the news of the sad demise of Mary and Richard Parker. They were on a routine patrol when the enemy caught them off guard, and quickly disposed of them. Their belongings will be sent here, as well as whatever was included in Richard’s will towards Peter.” The man’s monotone voice was lost on Tony as he felt his world slightly begin to cave in. They were... Gone? Just like that? On a routine check, of all things? What was a routine check for them anyway? Why didn't Tony know more about their jobs, about their lives? Why wasn't Tony a better friend?

Memories flashed through his mind as Tony remembered the friendship he had kindled with Richard after bumping into him at an event both of their families were forced to attend. They hit it off and were like two peas in a pod until Tony’s parents had died and Richard went off to become a super secret agent. They still had seen each other from time to time, Tony always asking Richard for favors; mostly just wanted to get his opinion on something, or wanted someone to talk to. He remembered the first time he had cried in front of Richard and the poor man was just as awkward as Peter was turning out to be. He wrapped an arm around Tony and let the other man sob until he stopped, and then he made Tony an ice cream sunday of all things. There was also the time Tony was doing some dumb experiment and he was on the phone with Richard at the same time, and ended up blowing up the whole lab. All Richard heard was the boom before dead silence, which of course caused him to go check on Tony in person as soon as he could. He was there when Tony was a ticking time bomb walking around, just waiting to explode and take himself down.

Then recent memories began rising to the surface. Peter’s smiling face as Jarvis takes them through the process of baking cookies, and the flour fight that lasted for a good fifteen minutes before Jarvis called Pepper over to reign them in. The extra warmth Tony felt at his side every other night as Peter snuggled next to him for comfort and how the kid always insisted on bringing the stuffed animals with him too. The tears he watched the boy shed as he realized his parents weren’t going to be there for his birthday, and Tony having to coax the boy out of his room to please  _p_ _lease_ blow out the candles on his cake. It was for him and only him, after all. Tony thought of the rising humor and brilliance in a deeply sad boy, and he slowly returned to stare at the agents in front of him.

“We also have official adoption papers from Richard himself. He said either you could sign to take Peter, or send them to his brother in New York. Please have the documents signed with your decision by tomorrow night.” The silent agent, seemingly conjuring it out of nowhere, produced a yellow packet that held the documentation. Tony took it with stiff arms and looked at the two agents again.

“Do you want to come inside, and tell the kid?” he gestured behind him, and he watched in curiosity as the talking agent slowly took his shades off.

“We believe that wouldn’t be for the best, we really don’t have the time-”

“Uncle Tony?” the agents froze at the sound of Peter’s voice. He watched as the man’s eyes filled with sadness… And shame. The realization why hit Tony like a bag of bricks and he felt a cold fury mix with the grief, and it held his heart in a fist and  _squeezed._

“You didn’t want to see him. You were afraid of talking to him. You were just going to run away, and dump the entire responsibility on _me_ to tell him what happened. Well, now he’s here. So why don’t you share the news?” he felt a hand reach up and grab his own, and he held it tightly like a lifeline. Tony didn't realize he was shaking until he looked down to notice he was making Peter's arm tremble with him.

“Excuse me, but what is happening?” Peter was always so polite, he was such a good kid that didn’t deserve _any_ of this.

Tony watched as the talking agent looked at the silent one who just gave a small shrug. He sighed and knelt down so he was eye level with Peter. Tony saw the way the agent’s body tensed and how he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Hey, kiddo. It looks like your mom and dad won’t be back from their mission. They had an accident.” Before the agent could try to explain further, Peter looked up at Tony with his big brown eyes. Tears were beginning to glitter in his eyes and the boy was on the verge of hyperventilating.

“Is this true?” his voice broke and Tony broke with it. He also knelt down and put his hand that wasn’t holding the documents on Peter’s shoulder.

“I am so sorry, Peter, I-” Peter ran before Tony could say anything else. The image of the kid’s crushed face would always remain in his mind.

Tony slowly stood up, and closed the door in the faces of the agents before making his way to the living room. He looked at Pepper as she stood with a shocked look on her face.

“I’m sorry, Tony, I didn't know how serious it was. Peter was just getting so anxious and he wanted to see you, because he got you a gift this year that I helped him pick out,” she looked like she wanted to keep rambling, but she didn’t know what else to say after seeing Tony's crestfallen face. Ignoring the fact that Peter got him a gift and the way his heart did a bittersweet happy dance, he handed the yellow packet to Pepper.

“It’s okay. Just make sure these are put on my desk downstairs, okay? I need to look over them tomorrow. Go home and get some rest after. Have a nice night, Pepper,” Pepper nodded her head sadly and watched as Tony left the room.

Tony slowly made his way to Peter’s room when Jarvis redirected him to his own, because that is where Peter actually chose to hole himself in. Tony felt his face contort into confusion before he turned on his heel and made his way towards his own room. He wondered why the boy would find more comfort there than in his own space.

He sat down by the door, barely able to hear the quiet sobs on the other side. He gently rapped his knuckles against it.

“Hey, kid. It’s me. We should probably talk,” Tony heard the sobs die down for a moment and turn into fits of sniffles.

“Go away. I don’t want to talk.” Tony stifled an eye roll at how similar it was to when Tony lost his own parents. Grief really has a way of making people want to be isolated.

“I know you don’t, but I promise it would help.”

“Mom and dad aren’t coming home. How will talking help?”

“It could help you feel better about the situation. Take it from someone who’s been through the same situation, kid.” The door suddenly swung open and Tony was lucky he didn’t fall over, considering he was putting his entire weight on it. He looked up at the face of the defeated child and felt his heart break even more.

“Bad people took my parents away, and why? What did they do? They were good! The good guys never lose! Never, ever, _ever!_ ” the last words were a broken mantra as his voice cracked and more tears came spilling out from his eyes. The boy collapsed into Tony’s arms and he desperately wanted to be able to say that the good guys _do_ always win and that everything will be okay. However, Tony couldn’t promise that and he knew that Peter knew better than that.

So instead of giving the boy false and empty promises, he simply held him. Tony had also wanted to bring the aspect of adoption up to the boy, but Peter was in no emotional state for that, so he would save it for the morning.

“Come on, let’s go to bed.” Peter koala hugged Tony so he could carry him to bed. That was a long night as Peter only went to sleep after he cried so hard, all of his energy was gone. Tony stayed up passed that, ghosts and memories of his friend haunting his mind alongside the decision that he would eventually have to make about Peter.


	4. The Decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can i just say i love the different time stamps on y’alls comments? why are you reading this at like 3am, go to sleep you heathens (and ignore the fact that i updated last time at 1am, i am a hypocrite and sleep is hard sometimes bc i get nightmares). And tbh i didn’t give it much thought as to who killed Peter’s parents, but I know now. It won’t be revealed until much later though ;)  
> Oh god, writing this gave me feels bc of what happens in 2018. Tony loves his son so much

Tony was panting and he looked down to see his exposed chest through his ripped shirt. There was blood everywhere, he had a gun in his hand and the whole world was spinning. Peter, poor Peter, was laying on the ground in front of Tony’s feet. His tiny body was crumpled, holding onto his lions and a picture of him and his parents. In front of Tony was a masked figure he had barely missed in his attempt to save Peter’s life, the other man's gun still slightly raised from when he executed the six year old. Tony was stunned and shook with grief. He couldn’t save the kid.  _He couldn't save the kid._

He watched as the masked figure turned his back to Tony, and begin to walk out. He felt the gun slip from his hands and his knees hit the hard ground. When he turned his head to the side, he saw the faces of Richard and Mary.

“How could you let this happen?” they murmured in unison. Their words bounced off the walls that were now oozing blood, and Tony watched in horror as bullet holes slowly appeared on their bodies. Their skin decayed and they jaws popped out of their sockets as they spoke to Tony.

“You promised to protect him. Why didn’t you?” his face was wet with tears and his body began to shake more violently. Why was this happening?

Tony tried to apologize, but the words stuck in his throat. As the bodies of his friends continued to decay and lurch forward to Tony, they reached out with their skeletal hands and screeched.

Tony sat up with his back ramrod straight, and began wildly patting around on his bed. He threw the covers back to reveal Peter’s stuffed animals, laying there innocently with their beady eyes staring at him.

He felt a cold sweat break out over his skin. Where was Peter? What if something happened? What if those people who killed his parents found them? They wouldn’t hurt a child, would they? He was helpless! A cute, dorky six year old who likes lions and science! Oh god, they could do anything to him. The scene of the masked stranger with the gun flashed through Tony's mind. They wouldn't do that to a kid. No, they couldn't. It wasn't right.

Tony, trapped in these thoughts and horrific scenes of what people could do to Peter, attempted to leap out of bed and instead became tangled in the sheets. He fell to the floor with a resounding thud and felt… Something sneaking up on him. He didn’t know what. It was like someone canon balled him into the middle of the ocean, and dozens of hands were clinging to his body and dragging him down. No matter how hard he fought, he couldn’t get his head above water. His breathing was becoming ragged and his chest felt tight.

“Sir, please calm your heart rate and follow me to help with your breathing. You are experiencing a panic attack,” Jarvis then went to count his breathing, and Tony followed as instructed. A panic attack? No, no, no. This wasn’t Tony at all. He  _never_ panicked. He needed to keep his head level if he wanted to find Peter. He had to make sure no one had hurt him.

“The kid… Where’s Peter?” Tony barely got out as he still fought off the panic attack. His heart was beginning to slow, and his chest was starting to loosen so it no longer felt like someone dropped a building on it. He hefted himself on his elbows and tried to drag himself out from under the blankets.

“He was trying to make breakfast for you, but after hearing your fall, will enter your room in approximately,” the door swung open,”now.” Tony stopped crawling in time just to have a pair of skinny arms thrown around his neck, knocking him off balance. He felt his heart soar at the fact the kid was okay, that no one had gotten to him. His fears that spawned from the nightmare were beaten off by the fact Peter was there in Tony’s arms, where he was safe from harm.

“Oh my god, you’re okay. What? Why are you sniffling?” Tony rubbed Peter’s trembling shoulders and waited for the kid to answer. Peter lifted his head to show his face wet with tears.

“I thought the bad men got you too.” Oh god. Oh no. How did Tony comfort the kid when it came to that stuff? Even he was close to crying hearing that! Especially considering the nightmare he had about the “bad men” getting Peter too. Tony was never good at emotions.

Instead of attempting to talk, Tony tightened his grip around Peter and just held him there. His thoughts of comfort were interrupted by the fact he still had to ask Peter about being adopted. He slowly peeled the kid’s arms off from around his neck so he could look Peter in the face.

“Hey, so I need to talk to you about something and you have to be a big guy about it, okay?" Peter nodded and put on his serious face, which was super adorable.

"Would you rather stay here, or stay with your Uncle Ben? Keep in mind who you’ll have to deal with for the rest of your life if you pick the first one,” Tony leaned in so he could whisper the next part,”Jarvis.”

“I heard that. I can assure you I would be the least of his worries.”

“Ha, that’s what you think! You stress me out with how much you stress out. Think of what that could do to the kid! He’d be balding by the time he reaches twelve.” Tony ruffled Peter’s hair.

“Always need to have the last word as per usual, Sir.” Peter giggled at the exchange between the man and his AI, the flow of his tears stopping. Seeing the kid smile made Tony grin and he waited for his response.

“I’d like to stay here, if that’s okay with you.” Of course it would be okay! However, something held Tony back from saying that. The “something” being his nightmare. Would Peter truly be safe there? Would he actually be happy? Did Tony have the kid’s best intentions at heart? Would he be able to swallow his pride and ego so extensively in order to become the father figure this kid needed? Could he take time from his job to spend time with Peter? To be present in the kid’s life, and not be like another Howard? He would also need some serious moral evaluations. Or maybe he could still try to keep the company moving with their own set of morals, and teach Peter how to be an actual good person. He could shield Peter from the ugliness of the business for as long as he could. Tony also had Pepper to help with building a strong foundation, and Jarvis as well. Maybe he could actually do it. He could raise the kid. Although, there was still a nagging thought. What genius billionaire adopts a kid in the thriving point of his career and bachelor life?

Looking into Peter’s big, doe brown eyes gave Tony that answer.

Tony Stark. He would be that person. He would protect Peter and ensure that nothing ever, ever happened to kid as long as he lived. He was semi sure at that point he would have his own life taken before someone could take Peter’s. Tony had owed that much to Richard and Mary.

"Of course, kid. Now where's this 5 star breakfast I heard you were cooking?" Peter's eyes widened in excitement.

"Oh yeah! Come on, let's go before it gets cold!" Peter took Tony's hand and dragged the man downstairs. As he watched the boy whirl around the kitchen like an excited tornado, he wondered why he ever had doubts about keeping Peter. He honestly didn't think he would have it any other way.


	5. Small Encounter with Pepper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so short, I just wanted to be able to show the character development here! Thank you everyone who has read this, even if just for a second <3

After dropping Peter off at school, Tony came home to find Pepper waiting in his living room. She held the documents that he had signed before leaving that morning and looked absolutely distraught. He tried to look like he didn’t notice her, and strolled into the kitchen where he threw his keys and sunglasses on the island. He thanked whatever gods out there that he didn’t flinch when he heard the clacking of Pepper’s heels behind him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Tony?” she slammed the packet down in front of him. He raised his eyebrows in response and shrugged, taking his coat off without making eye contact.

“Well, hello to you too, Pepper. Right now I’m trying to get comfortable after dropping my kid off at school-”

“Cut the shit. You know what I’m talking about. Why did you do it? Do you honestly believe you won’t corrupt the kid?” Tony bristled at having his fears thrown into his face like that. Pepper was acting like he hadn’t already been through the crisis process of wondering if he was good enough, if the kid would be okay in his care. The disgusted look on her face made it seem like she thought he was doing it as a PR move, which she should know more than anyone that it wasn’t.

“Gee, thank you for always having so much faith in me.” Tony turned his back to Pepper so she wouldn’t see how her words actually stung. He went over to the window and stared outside with hardened eyes.

“And besides, I thought you liked the kid?” he turned around to stare at Pepper as he leaned against the counter, and crossed his arms.

“I do. That’s why I’m freaking out, Tony. Did you think about how this might change his life? He’ll no longer be _just_ Peter Parker. He’ll be Peter Parker, adopted son of Tony Stark. People are going to treat him differently just to get to you! And I’m proud of how you stepped up these last two years, Tony, I really am, but are you responsible enough to take this on? Will you be able to get the time away from work, and being a national icon?”

“Do you think I haven’t thought about all of this, Pepper? I’ll find time, and if I can’t, then I’ll make it. He’ll be safe here, where Jarvis and I can keep an eye on him.”

“And what? You’ll hire a crew of security guards to follow him around?” Pepper threw hands up in exasperation, then rested them on her hips.

“No! I still want him to have a normal life, or as normal as it can be having me as… As…” the words caught in Tony’s throat. He could feel his throat closing, and it became hard to look Pepper in the eyes.

“Say it. Say it, or forever hold your peace.” She was purposefully egging him on. She wanted to him to say it, so she could be comfortable moving forward with Tony. She wanted to know he was serious.

“As his dad.” Pepper raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised and sort of proud. Suddenly Tony felt very tired, very vulnerable. His shoulders sagged and he felt like a kid again, lost and in need of validation from his mother to know if what he was doing was right.

“I love him, Pepper. Like he was my own son. I can’t abandon him, not now.” Woah. He didn't even realize he was saying it until the words were already whispered from his mouth. That was the first time Tony admitted that. Both to himself, and out loud to another person. It was the most comfortable he had ever been with his feelings. Maybe the kid was changing him for the better.

"Are you sure, Tony?"

He thought of all the nights Peter would sneak into his room, the mornings getting ready together, seeing how excited Peter gets about biology and the world, Jarvis answering the kid's random questions and telling him jokes. The one time Peter convinced him to make a blanket fort in the living room, and they ate too much popcorn and chocolate while watching movies.

"Yeah. I'm sure."


	6. Bee Bop it's 2008

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y’all. so real talk, im going to start getting busy. like, idk yet even how busy. im doing a summer program at my college so i can get ahead of my classes for my fall semester, i dont even remember how many classes im taking, but thats a thing im doing. i promise to write when i have the chance though! thank you for all the support and the comments/kudos, you guys are the best <3

Peter was twelve when it happened.

"So, as you can see, an interesting fact about life is that carbon is found in every organic matter," Mrs. Stuco was lecturing like always, and while Peter was incredibly interested in the topic, he could feel his eye lids drooping slightly. He had been up late talking to his dad while he was in Afghanistan for a busy trip; Tony kept convincing him to go to sleep, but Peter needed as much verification as he could get that his dad was safe.

"Following that train of thought, carbon is extremely important in-" the telephone rang loudly, interrupting the teacher and causing Peter to jump from the light cat nap he was taking. 

"Hello, Mrs. Stuco speaking. Yes, he's in here. Oh." Peter's eyebrows furrowed when he saw his teacher look at him with a concerned look on her face. She briefly scanned her eyes across the classroom before turning her back to her students and talking in a lower voice.

"Okay. Is someone coming? Okay. Do you want me to tell him, or wait for whoever is getting him? Are you sure? Yeah, I can do that. Okay. Yep. Bye." She hung up the phone and straightened before turning back around.

"Mr. Parker, please step out of the class. I'll be with you in a moment. And bring your things, someone is coming to pick you up." The class was a chorus of "ooo, Peter is in trouble" as he grabbed his stuff and waited outside the door. His face was slightly pink from the attention.

Peter didn't wait long before his teacher stepped out. She was fidgeting and couldn't look Peter in the face, and it was silent for a few moments before she cleared her throat awkwardly.

“Peter, I’m sorry to tell you this, but your dad… It looks like he’s been kidnapped by a radical group.” There were faint footsteps behind Peter, but he didn’t pay any attention to them. The words his teacher had said echoed in Peter’s mind, they weighed on his chest like boulders and made it hard to breathe. The bad men got him? How could that happen? Tony always said he’d be careful, that nothing in the world would separate him from Peter. He said it was just a normal business trip.

“Peter? Peter, you’re having a panic attack, you need to calm down.” His teacher tried to soothe and help Peter, she reached out to touch the boy, but Peter immediately jerked away at the contact. His eyes were wild as he looked around and tried to wrap the impossible around in his head. Tony had become an untouchable in Peter’s mind, someone who would never die before he was supposed to. The kidnapping showed just how painfully human Tony actually was and it was something Peter never wanted to think about.

Somewhere far, far away, Peter heard Happy grumble something to Peter's teacher as he put his hand on the kid’s shoulder to direct him outside to the car. His body moved on autopilot and he stared ahead with blank eyes. Happy was awkwardly rubbing his back and trying to calm him down, but his breathing was still uneven and his hands were shaking. It was only when they were in the car that Peter let go and went into full blown hysterics.

“I can’t lose him, not like how I lost them, I can’t go through that again,” Peter rambled out of a closed throat. Snot was getting everywhere and he barely saw the tissues Happy was offering through the tears.

“Hey, I’m sure he’ll be fine. We have a whole team looking for him right now.” Peter blew hard into the tissue and tried to calm himself down enough to speak again.

“What if they can’t find him? What do we do? What do I do?” his voice cracked and Peter automatically blushed in embarrassment, but Happy didn’t indicate he heard it. Peter watched the man shrug his shoulders nonchalantly.

“Well, you’ll probably be sent to New York to live with your Uncle Ben and Aunt May, and then-” Happy didn’t make it to the next part since that triggered Peter back into hysterics. It’s like the kid got his feet on solid land before Happy picked him up and threw him back to the sharks. It had only been diagnosed recently, but the kid had an anxiety disorder. It was getting easier with age, but with the stage of life he was entering, it’s like he was reaching the level he was when he was seven. That had been an especially hard year, since Peter was still grieving the loss of his parents and he was adjusting to permanent residence with Tony.

“No no no no, I can’t be sent back there! I love Ben and May, but what if Dad comes home and I’m not there?”

“Kid, I can see where you’re coming from, but you also have to understand you don’t have a choice in this. Whether you stay or leave isn’t up to you.”

“Bullshit!”

“Hey! Language!” Happy took his eyes off the road for a second to give Peter the Look that he usually got from Tony when he swore. Peter felt his face burn, not from embarrassment this time, but from rage. At least anger was an easier emotion to deal with than crippling dread and worry.

“I don’t care! It’s bullshit, Happy! I should be able to choose whether or not I get to wait at home for my dad to come back!” his tiny body shook with the righteous rage. He was twelve, he was old enough to make his own decisions! The adults should at least hear what he had to say. Peter also believed he should be allowed to curse already, since his classmates did it, but that was a smaller argument for another time when Tony was back home. Normally Peter wouldn’t even argue, he was a relatively good kid who listened to what people told him. However, this time was different. This time it felt like he was losing his parents all over again, and Peter couldn’t deal with that. He was old enough now to potentially help.

“I can help! I could take satellite pictures and triangulate their positions to find their hideouts-”

“They already have a team on that. You need to stay out of this for your own safety, Peter.” That ended the conversation as Happy pulled into the garage. Peter looked at him with betrayed and hurt eyes, his mouth forming a thin line as he jumped out of the car and ran into the house.

Happy felt bad for the kid, he really did, but there was no way he was going to allow Peter to drive himself crazy by helping. He watched in silence as the kid hopped out of the car as soon as it slowed down enough, not even waiting for it to come to a full stop.

Peter flung his school bag off his shoulder and silently trudged towards the living room. He only looked up when he noticed another pair of legs in front of him. Pepper was looking down at him with the saddest look in her eyes, and while she didn’t say anything, she laid a gentle hand on Peter’s shoulder. He felt his entire soul crumble, because her eyes only confirmed the reality he didn’t want to believe. Suddenly he was six again, his entire reality changed as he was told his parents weren't coming home. Except this time, he didn’t have Tony there to comfort him.

Pepper wrapped her arms around the shaking boy as he slumped into her embrace. He clung to her like she as his only lifeline in an endless sea of sorrow. She wanted so badly to tell him it was okay, that Tony would be home tomorrow like as planned, but why would she say it if it wasn't true? They had all been sure that it would be a fast business trip; an in and out situation. Then they had been ambushed and now the terrorists were doing god-knows-what to Tony.

So instead of saying anything, she held him while his body trembled with sob after sob, and tried hard not to think of the future that’s to come.


	7. Tony's Perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im going to be completely honest. i dont remember a whole lot from the movies (im 75% sure i havent even seen the second iron man), but im going to try my best to keep the characters true to themselves! ps: i totally looked up the official script for iron man 1 for yinsen’s dialogue lol, not gonna lie about that. also, thank you everyone for the supportive comments!! you guys seriously are the best

What the actual fuck is this. He had a weird ass fucking glowing magnet in his chest, he had been kidnapped, and his eyes were open to the fact that Stark Industries has apparently been dealing under the table to the enemy. To top it all off, he had no idea what was happening with Peter and if he would ever see him again. The only thing that gave him comfort was the fact that if Tony couldn’t make it home, Peter would be with Ben and May. The kid would be okay.

It had been approximately a week since he woke up with the magnet in his chest that was hooked to a car battery. Now he was being forced to make one of the most deadly missiles in all time for a terrorist group, so they could kill whoever they wanted. Tony was also stuck with a doctor who thought it would be a great idea to make it so him cryptically humming and shaving would be the first thing Tony would see when he woke up. So, yeah. Not the most spectacular of times.

He was wrapped in an Army blanket and laying in a wheelbarrow when Yinsen loomed over him.

“I’m sure there’s people looking for you, Stark.” The doctor turned away for a moment to stare at the battery before looking back at the sad man.

“The car battery is running out. The generator won’t be turned on until you start working.”

Tony didn’t respond, he just snuggled deeper into the blanket and stared at the wall. How could his work have turned out so bad? Maybe he didn’t deserve to continue on. He had been making weapons of mass destruction that were used on innocent lives, that split families apart. Peter’s face flashed through Tony’s mind and his grip on the blanket tightened until his knuckles were white. If Peter were ever taken away from him, he’d never be the same. Those families out there that were being hurt? They had their own Peters, or daughters, or other family members. Tony had been the demise of so many.

“You don’t like what you saw outside, did you? Neither did I when my village was destroyed by those weapons. Out there, _that’s_ your legacy, your work in the hands of mass murderers. Is that how you want to go out? Or are you going to do something about it?” Tony rolled his eyes at Yinsen’s words.

“Why should I? Either they’re going to kill me, or I’m going to die in a week.”

“Then this is a very important week for you.”

Tony turned and lifted up an eyebrow. The gears slowly started to turn in his head as he realized this couldn’t be how he went. This can’t be how he dies. He _has_ to continue on. If not for himself, then for Peter. He also had to put an end to the double dealing, he had to help those that he had hurt. If all he did was lay down and die when an obstacle came up, then he would be nothing.

With a new invigorated light in his eyes, he gave a small smirk to the doctor.

“Well, let’s get started.”

After they had signalled Abu’s men that Tony was ready to cooperate, they sent some people in there to gather what Tony needed.

“Alright, so I need S-Category missiles. Lot 7043. The S-30 7043. The S-30 explosive tritonal. And a dozen of the S-76. Mortars: M-Category #1, 4, 8, 20, and 60. M229’s, I need eleven of these. Mines: the pre-90s AP 5s and AP 16s.” Tony paced as he gave the orders, watching as Yinsen translated quickly for him and Abu’s men rushed around to get the supplies.

“I also need this area free of clutter, with good light. I want it at 12 o’clock to the door to avoid logjams. I need welding gear--acetylene or propane, helmets, a soldering set-up with goggles, and smelting cups. Two full sets of precision tools.” He made a square with his hands as he envisioned his work place in the dump he was stuck in. Then he threw one of his signature cocky smiles to Abu, who looked absolutely exasperated, before he continued on.

“Finally, I also want: three pairs of tube socks, a toothbrush, protein powder, spices, sugar, five pounds of tea, the picture of my son I had in my jacket when you kidnapped me, and some playing cards.” He crossed his arms over his chest and kept his smirk as Abu got in his face. Even though he didn’t break eye contact, he knew Yinsen was giving him a scared and questioning look as he translated.

“Cards? Who does he think I am, a fool?” Abu spoke to Yinsen, gritting his teeth and letting out a low snarl to Tony.

“I need everything so I can make boom-kill for powerful Abu. Everything.” Tony shrugged and gave him a face that said “sorry, I don’t make the rules.”. Abu sighed and shut his eyes tightly, before gesturing for his men to gather the rest of what Tony wanted. It was the small victories that counted.

Thus began the adventures of Tony and Yinsen. The doctor watched in awe as Tony created a miniature ARK reactor that could substitute the mess of a magnet that was in his chest. Peter's picture laid on the table, always in line of sight for Tony.

“That reactor could run your heart for fifty lifetimes.”

“Or something big for fifteen minutes.” Tony said without thinking about it, but then his eyes went wide and he looked at Yinsen. They met eyes for a few moments and it was like silent paragraphs of dialogue were shared between them.

“Let’s put it in.”


	8. Back to Peter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a short chapter so y'all know what's going on while everything with Tony is happening

Peter watched as Pepper carried the paperwork that stated Ben and May were his guardians. His eyes were dry, since he probably cried out all of the tears he had. He just felt... Numb. The world was no longer vibrant, but dull shades of white and grey. It had been a month before they called it and decided Peter would be sent to New York. He no longer argued or bargained at that point, because no one would listen. Peter was just a miserable boy who seemed to have bad luck when it came to parents.

People bustled around as they walked through the airport, leading their own lives, oblivious to the hurting boy. Tony always made sure to keep Peter from the spotlight. Everyone knew Tony Stark had a son, but no one (except Pepper and Rhodey, as well as some other colleagues of Tony) actually knew his real identity.

“Are you ready, Peter?” Pepper put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and squeezed once they reached his terminal.

“Do I have a choice?” he gave a heartbreaking smile that made Pepper wish she could just take everything bad away. She wanted to receive the call from Rhodey that would say they found Tony, that Peter didn’t have to go. The only thing that kept her from keeping Peter was the fact that Richard explicitly stated in his will that if something were to happen to Tony, he be sent to Ben and May. Pepper put the packet of important papers in his backpack before patting his back.

“Alright, you’re all set to go. You’ll be okay. And if they do find him, you’ll be the first to know and on the first plane back home.” Peter nodded sadly, and gripped his backpack hard as he walked towards the plane with a shattered heart. 

When Peter walked off the plane in New York, he saw an anxious May waiting for him. Although he only had visited a few times, he knew how busy Ben always was with work. He slumped into May’s open arms, reciprocating the hug.

“Come on, kiddo. Let’s go home.” He let her direct him out of the airport and to the car.

Home. The word didn’t feel right in that context. Home meant Jarvis and Tony, it meant California and his few friends at school. It was coming home from a hard day to find that his dad didn’t have a good day either, so they would order takeout and make something sweet to eat as dessert. It meant watching Tony awkwardly try to explain teenager impulses and stereotypes, and attempt to handle the overwhelming amount of angst that Peter felt. It meant asking Jarvis questions instead of sleeping, and gaining a sense of understanding of the world. 

Home. The word would only be right again when Tony came back.


	9. Aaand Back to Tony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so sorry for the last chapter, itll get better soon i promise (and then itll get bad again a few times, but we dont need to talk about that)

“How about you tell me what you’re actually making?” Yinsen mentioned casually. Tony had brought up how Yinsen was making a backgammon board, but the man had been completely silent about what  _he_ was creating.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Tony said as he worked on a cylinder for the suit of armor. He heard Yinsen scoff in response, and before he could say anything about it, the door violently burst open. Men flooded the room as Abu barked orders, and they stood rigidly when Raza walked in. They lifted their weapons and aimed them at the two men. The cylinder Tony was working on fell to floor since he jumped from the initial shock of the door, and Yinsen’s eyes flickered over to it before going back to the men.

“Easy.” Raza spoke so the men lowered their guns. Tony held his breath as Raza almost stepped on the cylinder, but saw the playing cards scattered on a different table. He went over to inspect, and shot Abu an annoyed glance before he stalked back to the workbench and sifted through Tony’s missile blueprints.

“The sword used to be the pinnacle of technology, and men cut each other down by the millions with them. Now, whoever owns Stark technology controls the battlefield. It is meant to be my turn.” Raza mindlessly pushed the prints around before turning around to face Yinsen.

“Why isn’t the missile ready yet?” he spoke in Urdu, his voice hard as steel.

“It’s very complex, he is working very hard.” Yinsen swallowed heavily and held eye contact with Raza. The other man broke it when he looked over at Tony, who was watching what was happening with an apprehensive expression.

“Force him on his knees, and hold him.” Raza told Abu, who complied and forced Yinsen to his knees. Raza casually picked up a hot coal from the furnace using a pair of tongs.

“What are you actually working on?” he moved the coal around in front of Yinsen’s eyes, causing his breath to become labored as the fear set in.

“The weapon--we’re working on the weapon!” Raza tsk’d and moved the coal closer to Yinsen’s mouth.

“What is actually going on?”

“NOTHING! We’re building the missile!” his replies were more frantic and he started struggling against the men who held him down.

"Open his mouth." One of the men holding Yinsen grabbed the man's jaw and forced it open.

Raza slowly closed the distance between the burning coal and Yinsen’s tongue, Yinsen could feel his heart pounding hard in his chest. He was on the verge of hyperventilating and it felt like his eyes were going to bug out of his skull. Right before it could touch him, however, Raza dropped the piece of coal in front of Yinsen. He threw the tongs down and immediately straightened, and left the room with his men. The door slammed with a resounding thud, and Yinsen stood up on wobbly knees.

“That’s twice I've saved your life, Stark. Now will you tell me what you’re working on?” Tony sighed in relief that his friend wasn't hurt, and got out the real blueprints he had been using the entire time. He slammed them on the workbench and gestured for Yinsen to take a look. The doctor shuffled through the papers and a small smile broke out on his face. He knew it was big and it was great, great enough to require an ARK reactor to power it, but he didn’t know how grand it would actually be.

“Finally. A good idea.”

 Having another person working on the suit was so damn refreshing. Weeks passed as the two men worked together, and Abu would check on them from time to time. He would leave satisfied with the fact it looked like they were creating something big that was probably the missile. Tony’s arms ached and screamed with pain, but he kept hammering away while Yinsen told him tales from his childhood.

“There was once a Prince casted out to work on the royal mines. He hammered, and hammered away until he became strong enough to break the ore with his bare hands,” the ringing of the hammer on the metal rang out in their room. Tony’s muscles rippled and sweat drenched his skin. Yinsen watched in awe as Tony, who was obviously exhausted, kept going. He looked like a modern day, kidnapped Hephaestus.

“Too late did the King realize his mistake, for the Prince was strong enough to break even the King’s sword.” Tony suddenly stopped hammering and took a second to look at his creation. The stern looking mask stared back at Tony, and he threw it to the side to let it cool down. The rest of the suit needed to be assembled and the circuits needed to be put in.

 However, before Tony continued welding and creating, he looked at the picture of Peter and envisioned the day he would be home again.


	10. Peter Goes to School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im writing so much bc i really wanna get to the fun parts and i love the comments (i am a lonely binch who loves the attention). ps: this college shit? wack. i was given the pell grant, which meant they would cover the costs of the tuition to attend this program, then it was taken away?? and now they want me to pay the money? idk man. wack shit, let me tell you
> 
> and im sorry this chapter is short, i just wanted to show what was happening with peter, but i wasnt sure how, you know?? i couldnt really stretch it to more. this chapter actually gave me writer's block lmao

“The nation grieves as it has been publicly stated that the search party for Tony Stark will be terminated soon.” Peter watched the news with dead, angry eyes. How could they just give up so easily? Yeah, it had been almost three months at that point, but they should still look for Tony. He was an important, influential man, and dammit, he had Peter to come back to. Hot tears welled as he thought about it, and he angrily crunched on his cereal. They can’t just give up on his dad. Not like that.

Suddenly the TV shut off, and Peter whipped his head around to see May standing there with the remote and a concerned look on her face.

“You can’t keep beating yourself up over this, Peter. I understand how worried and angry you are, but glaring at the news lady isn’t going to help. Come on, get ready for school.” Peter sighed and rose slowly, opening May would turn the TV back on once his back was to it. No such luck; instead, she quirked an eyebrow and moved her hand in a motion that said "get a move on already." Peter rinsed his bowl before heading to his room to get ready. It was significantly smaller than his room back home, but Peter couldn’t complain considering the different financial situations. He found he still liked the small, quaint apartment as much as Tony’s large house. They were aesthetically pleasing and comfortable in their own respects. However, as Peter looked around his room, he felt the hole in his heart that indicated he wasn’t home. This wasn’t where he was supposed to be.

Trying to ignore that thought, Peter got dressed and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and put on deodorant. What he found was common among twelve year olds everywhere is that they haven’t learned about deodorant yet. Tony made him start wearing it as soon as he began to smell, and Peter was appreciative of that. At least he didn’t reek like the rest of the class.

After getting his goodbye kiss on the forehead from May, Peter strolled to school with his hood up and shoulders hunched. Rain pelted his small form and threatened to soak him to the bone. He felt hatred towards the clouded sky and desperately yearned for it to be sunny again. Not just the weather, but everything in general, if that makes sense. He never was a poet, but he tried his best.

When Peter got to the school, he wandered his way to class and went to settle down in his seat when another kid clipped in the shoulder. He stumbled and almost fell, but caught himself beforehand.

"Watch where you’re going, Parker." Flash laughed cruelly and continued to his seat in the front. There was no real reason for the other kid to bully Peter like that, but it happened anyway and it confused him more than anything.

Peter sighed and moved to his seat without responding, slumping down in it and hoping the world would just open up wide and swallow him whole.

It wasn’t easy being twelve. Especially not when you kept losing your parents over, and over again.


	11. We Have Liftoff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> long time no see! sorry ive been so quiet, college and all of that lol. its so overwhelming. anyway, here yall go and thank you for being supportive/patient!
> 
> also i have no idea how this went in the movie lol, i guess its good this is my own rendition of the story

The sun was unrelenting on Tony’s body as he waded through the knee deep sand. His skin was scorched and his tongue felt like sandpaper, the events from earlier that day replaying in his head.

_ Banging on the door startled both of the men. They looked at each other and immediately readied themselves for the fight out of there. Well, Tony would be the one fighting. Yinsen would stay behind him and get out safely, so he could go back to his family. The doctor didn't speak of them much, so Tony wondered what they were like and if he'd be able to meet them. _

_ Tony clambered in the suit, his heart racing with each passing second as the thumping on the door became more violent and insistent. He watched as the computer slowly booted up the suit and he knew they wouldn’t have time. _

_ “You have to type in the codes, so it goes faster,” Tony spoke breathlessly, their master plan slipping between their fingers. He needed the suit to work, and to work fast, or they would both be blasted to all Hell with whatever automatic guns the men were carrying that day. _

_ Yinsen gave Tony a frantic look before he began typing in the starting sequence as Tony instructed. As soon as they reached the last part, the banging became too much to bear. The door was beginning to bust and it was looking grim. Peter’s face flashed through Tony’s mind, as well as Yinsen and his safety, and he felt his soul deflate in despair. _

_ Then Tony watched as Yinsen picked up a nearby gun after entering the last code, and threw a casual nod towards him. _

_ “Wait, where are you going?” Tony yelled after the retreating doctor. He had promised to protect Yinsen, he couldn't just walk out into danger without Tony! _

_ “To buy you more time.” He said simply before rushing out the door, brandishing his gun. He swung it around and shot wildly, scaring the men more than he hurt them. The group retreated back, and Yinsen chased them down the narrow cave way. _

_ Tony sat with a horrified look on his face as his mind reeled. He watched the computer screen with wild eyes and willed it to load faster. He could hear the gunshots and screams, and he was terrified one of those might be Yinsen’s. _

Tony coughed and almost fell over, but managed to trudge on still. He shook his head to get rid of the dizziness and he looked down at the small picture of Peter in his hand. He had to get home. No amount of desert could keep Tony away.

_ Once the suit finally loaded, a weight was lifted off Tony’s shoulders as he stood at least a bulking seven feet tall. Men scurried to get away from him as he shot about, and marched out of his prison cell. He set the fastest pace he could to find the doctor before he got seriously injured somehow.  _

_ It wasn’t long until he found Yinsen. A man barely missed hitting Tony with a rocket, which he responded by setting out one of his own. A small explosion burst forth and the man ran away. _

_ Tony dropped down and took the mask off his face. Yinsen was laying on giant packaging bags, with the blood draining out of him. He was breathing heavily and clutching at his stomach. _

_ “Yinsen, we have to go.” He said without thinking about it. He'd carry the doctor, that was the plan. They'd get out of there together. _

_ “I’m not going anywhere.” Tony stared at the bleeding doctor incredulously. What the fuck did he mean he wasn’t going? _

_ “Come on, you have to see your family.” _

_ “My family’s dead, Stark.” _

_ Shock ran through Tony’s body, then disgust and anger towards himself. He remembered when Yinsen mentioned Stark Industry weapons were used to destroy his village. Tony had been the demise of Yinsen’s family, mere innocents caught in between a war. _

_ “I’m going to see them now. You should go now to see your son.” _

_ Tony fought to keep the tears at bay. He had felt so overwhelmed, especially since Peter was on his mind after being mentioned. He wanted so badly to be selfish, to save the doctor and bring him back to his home where he could thrive and practice his profession, but Tony knew better. The doctor just wanted to see his family again, and he’s not about to rip that away from him. _

_ “Thank you for saving me, you know, multiple times.” _

_ “Don’t waste your life, Stark. Do… Better.” Yinsen gasped out as his breathing took a turn for the worst and he started hyperventilating. Tony looked on as the light began to leave the doctor’s eyes. His friend’s eyes. _

_ “Tell your family I said hello,” Tony whispered softly before he put the mask back, gritted his teeth, and stalked outside. _

Tony’s coughing turned into hacking and he collapsed in the sand, the heat and delirium finally getting to him. His body was caked with sweat and grime, and he wanted so badly just to sleep. He should be allowed to, he had done something good that day. He destroyed the weapon supply Raza was keeping. 

If this is where it ended, Tony hoped Peter would be proud of him for his last-ditch effort. 

As that thought crossed his mind and he slipped into sleep, he heard chopper sounds off in the distance.


	12. Reunion: Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y'all, long time no see. thank you for being patient and leaving comments/kudos <3  
> this is going to be a few parts, and we're using roman numerals bc we fancy bitches  
> and a small update on me if anyone is curious: i am small, i have no money, and i am very tired lol

Peter sat in class with his eyes directed outside, looking up at the overcast sky and wondering where Tony could possibly be. His teacher droned on about basic physics that he already knew because he asked Jarvis about it one night. Jarvis mentioned Peter's curiosity to Tony, which spawned a mini-lesson from his dad the next morning.

Usually, he fidgeted in class, tapping his pencil against the desk or shaking his knee up and down. These days now, however, he was more subdued. His eyes were blank and the passion he had for most things was burned out. Peter knew he should be more energetic, he knew Tony wouldn’t want him to change, but he could only lose so many parents before he felt defeated.

“Peter? Peter? Mr. Parker!” Peter jumped and looked forward at his teacher, who broke him out of his trance. She was holding the phone and Peter felt extreme confusion mixed with his little spark of dread. Was this the call telling him Tony wasn’t coming back at all? That they found his body? Peter would rather live without knowing if that was the truth. He watched as she told the person on the other end to have a good day, then hung up the phone.

“Go outside the classroom with your stuff, I’ll meet you out there in just a second.” Peter attempted to gulp down the lump in his throat and failed, as he grabbed his backpack and walked on shaking legs towards the door. He looked at his few friends, Ned, Harry and MJ, with fear in his eyes before reaching the door and stepping into the hall. It was only a moment before his teacher came out, closing the door softly behind her.

“Peter, I have some good news for you.”

Good news? What good news? He looked up at her with wide eyes full of disbelief.

“Tony Stark has been recovered, alive and well. Your Aunt May is on her way to pick you up,” Peter tuned out everything she said after that. His heart was beating so fast and a huge smile broke over his face, he started to slowly back away before he took off at a full sprint towards the doors. His teacher yelled after him, but he didn’t listen as he burst into the outside just in time for May to walk up.

“Hey, kiddo. Looks like you got the news,” she ruffled his hair and had a strained smile on her face.

“Does this mean I get to go back to California?” May’s face turned into one Peter couldn’t understand.

“What? What’s wrong?” his excitement began to cool down as his eyebrows furrowed.

“Well, Ben and I were talking, and we don’t know if that would be the best idea for you.” She gently set her hands on his shoulders as she looked him in the eye. He felt annoyance rise up inside of him. Tony finally comes back, and this is how they act?

“How is that not the best idea? He’s practically my father at this point, I mean I call him “Dad,” I need to go back home to him.” May’s face changed again and Peter didn’t like the slight disdain he saw.

“But Tony isn’t your real father, Peter. Richard was. And if this is what life is going to be like for you, full of dangers and unknowns at every turn, maybe it’d be best to stay with us.” Peter shook his head and he felt the annoyance turn into anger. He was tired of adults telling him that they knew what was best, he needed to stand his ground and show them they needed to listen to him for once. He just needed to articulate that in a mature, calm way that May would understand.

“No. You can’t make that decision for me. I’m old enough to know what’s good for me, and that’s being home with Tony where I feel like I actually belong!” nailed it. Okay, so maybe Peter wasn’t as mature as he liked to think he was, but he was also twelve and his life hasn’t been the easiest. He’s allowed to have his freak out moments. May looked taken aback, and before she could argue back, Peter was walking away from her.

“Peter? Peter! Get back here! Where do you think you’re going?”

“Somewhere away from here!”


	13. Reunion: Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im actually having so much fun writing this omg
> 
> also, just a slight warning, this chapter is heavy dialogue wise

As Tony scrambled off the plane, he limped his way over to the car where Pepper was waiting and got in as quickly as he could. Before he could get all the way in though, one reporter caught him and wanted a word.

“Mr. Stark? Mr. Stark? What are you going to do now that you’re back?”

“Firstly, have an all American cheeseburger. Then I’m going to get my son back.” When the words fell out of his mouth, all of the reporters immediately started bombarding him with questions about his son and if he’d finally tell people who his son was, where his son is located. He waved them away as best he could with one arm in a cast and slumped into his seat. Pepper gave him a worried look which he rolled his eyes at.

“Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like I’m a ticking time bomb about to explode. Happy, take me straight home to see Peter.” He still had the picture that kept him going in Afghanistan. Tony felt relieved for the first time in a long time; he was going home and he would see his son.

“Oh. About that, Tony.”

He didn't like her tone. What did she do? Send Peter away to New York the first day he was gone?

“We sent Peter to New York to live with May and Ben within the first few days you were kidnapped.” Tony sighed and pinched his brow line, a headache beginning to form.

“Just send my private plane to pick him up, he could be home tonight if it’s arranged right away.”

“Well, you see, May doesn’t want Peter to come back here.”

“What? Why?” why the fuck would May stop Peter from coming home?

“Because she believes this lifestyle is too unstable for him.” Okay, so May was right about that, but he already had changes in mind that he was going to make.

“Get her on the phone.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Come on, you heard me. Get her on the phone.” He squeezed his good hand in a grabby motion for the phone.

“I’m not sure she’ll answer--”

“Just, please, Pepper.” It was Pepper’s turn to sigh as she complied, ringing May before giving the phone to Tony. His tone just sounded so desperate. He held it and waited for her to answer.

“Hello?” May sounded distressed. What happened?

“Hey, May, long time no talk. Why won’t you let my son come home?”

“Tony?”

“Yes, I’m actually back. Now, why won’t you let Peter come home?”

“First of all, he’s not actually your son. Secondly, the lifestyle you have is too dangerous for Peter to be involved in. Thirdly--”

“I’ll just stop you right there. Given the fact that I’ve raised him, along with some help, for the majority of his life, I think I'm allowed to call him my son. Also, I’m going to be making some changes that will definitely make life better, and safer, for Peter. Why don’t you put me on speaker so all three of us could have this chat, considering it’s Peter’s life we’re talking about?”

“That sounds like a great idea. I’ll do that as soon as I find him.”

“As soon as… Did you lose my son?” Tony sat straight in his seat and looked at Pepper with wide eyes. The headache was getting worse.

“I didn’t lose him, he just ran off when I said he should stay with me and Ben!”

“Did you word it as a suggestion, or as a definite thing happening?”

“Well…”

“He may be mature, but he’s twelve-years-old, May. You can’t try to boss him around. He’ll just get angry and do exactly what he did just now! I’m flying over there, Happy turn the car around and go back to the plane. We need to find Peter.”


	14. Reunion III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i missed you guys, you have no idea what ive been going through :,)

Peter could feel the steam coming out of his ears as he marched in a random direction. He ignored the calls from his aunt, even turning his phone on silent, and kept moving forward. Maybe he would find somewhere to hide for a few hours before making his way back.

He didn’t know how long he had walked for, but when he glanced up, he realized he had no idea where he was. He looked at the street signs and attempted to make sense of them, but the rising panic in his head made him unable to grasp where he was. He felt his palms sweating and he slouched as he made his way through the rough looking neighborhood. Buildings were old and houses were falling apart, stray dogs and cats ran across the streets, people looked hardened and cruel. He made sure not to make eye contact. 

As Peter realized the only option he had was to turn around and retrace his steps, a gang of four people came out from nowhere and surrounded him.

“Hey, kid. What are you doing here?” they began to close in and Peter felt like a deer in headlights. He was turning in circles attempting to find a way to escape, but all he saw were mocking and scary faces. He felt his knees begin to shake. 

“Nice shoes. Why don’t you give them to me? A present for coming through my territory without my permission.” Peter swore to whatever deity out there that if he made out of this situation alive, he would be more down-to-earth and nicer to his family. He wouldn’t burst out anymore. He just wanted to go home.

His silence made the speaker’s face twist in anger, and Peter’s breath caught in his throat as the man whipped out a blade.

“I said to give me your shoes. What? Are you deaf?” Peter didn’t respond again, his mind was racing at the speed of light, squabbling to find a solution.

The man nodded to the one behind Peter, then he was roughly grabbed by multiple hands. He tried tugging to free his arms, but he was only met by painfully strong grips that would surely leave bruises. He gulped and felt tears brew in his eyes as the blade was put closer to his face, then down towards his neck.

The man opened his gross mouth to speak again when a voice from behind them yelled out.

“Really? Threatening and robbing a kid? You know, that’s actually pretty in character for you, so I’m not totally surprised. It's still fucked up though.” Peter noticed a slight shake in the hand of the man as the other guy spoke. Then the robber growled lowly and turned around, his shoulders still hunched and the knife pointed out.

“Wade fucking Wilson. I thought you went and fucked off the face of the Earth?”

“Oh, yeah. I did. That was until I actually got a calling card for your friend holding the kid’s left arm there, and realized maybe I could use the money.” Wade threw a card towards the gang, Peter could just barely move his head to look down and see the card softly land. He could see the tiny lettering that must of been a name.

Peter was let go so fast that he stumbled forward and almost face planted. He heard the scoffs of disbelief as they swarmed to look at the card, and a hand touched his shoulder. He jumped so high he thought he’d shoot himself in the atmosphere, but it wasn’t any of the mean men. He assumed this was Wade. 

Wade couldn’t have been more than eighteen years old, and while Peter was still trying to figure out his sexuality, he couldn’t help the way a blush spread across his cheeks as he stared into Wade’s hazel eyes. Peter felt confusion though as he saw the slight way Wade’s eyes were sunken in and how his breathing was slightly off. Was he sick?

“Hey, kid. You alright?”

“I, uh… I…” Peter could feel his blush worsening at the sound of his voice and Wade raised his eyebrow.  _ Say something, idiot! He’s an older kid and he’s going to make fun of you if you don’t say something! _

“Hey, Wade!” the two boys looked over to see the leader had acquired a baton from out of nowhere. He whipped it open and there was a faint buzzing, which meant it could electrocute.

"You're gonna kill Billy here over our dead bodies."

"Well, I mean, that was my plan." Wade turned from the men back to the kid in front of him.

“Get out of here, kid. Go back home.” He pushed Peter behind him and shoved him back where he came from. Peter saw the slight way Wade’s hands shook and he felt conflict rise up in him. What could Peter do? He certainly couldn’t just leave Wade, but he was also small and couldn’t help very much. 

“Punishment time, Wilson.”

“Oh boy, I knew you were always secretly into that!” Peter saw the way Wade’s body tensed and readied for the fight. The men were stalking closer and the leader was swinging the baton around, about to strike. Peter’s eyes scanned around quickly before he spotted a metal trash can with a loose lid. His eyes flickered between the men and the trash can, and he quickly dropped his bag. He knew this was a terrible idea, but he sprinted toward the can, yanking the lid off so aggressively that the entire trash was knocked over. His heart beat rapidly in his chest as he ran and leaped in front of Wade before the baton could come down, holding the lid up like a shield. 

Peter could hear Wade’s yells as the baton clanked on the lid. Peter knew what would happen, he knew it would hurt, but he would take the hit if it meant he could protect someone else. All his life, he had been living under the protection of others and he had never been given the chance to do something good back. 

His muscles clenched and unclenched, but he kept the lid up. He could hear a scream of pain far away and his vision began to wobble, and then he was out.


	15. Wade's Perspective

He stood there with an eyebrow raised as the boy’s body collapsed right in front of him. He just wanted to take a simple fucking job to get money for some possible therapy, but now he has to muster the energy to take out four guys. Not only that, but one was on a power high with a fucking baton.

“You just had to bring a kid into this.”

“Hey, look, Wade, you don’t have to do anything. We’ve never had a terrible relationship. You can just walk out of here-”

“Oh no, I’m definitely going to kill all of you now.” Wade still had his eyes on the crumpled figure of the boy as he got the handgun out from the back of his pants, getting two guys in the head before he had to take a step back to dodge a baton strike. It whooshed through the air twice before Wade turned the gun around in his hand to whip Charlie in the face. The gun hit with a sickening whack, and the man stumbled back as he held his face. The baton hit the ground and Wade immediately scooped it up in favor of the gun. He rolled his wrist a few times to get used to the weight before he used it to whack the Billy guy in the stomach as he charged Wade. At least he’ll go out with a fight, he has Wade’s slight respect for that.

The man shook as he was electrocuted and fell to the ground. Charlie was pushing past the pain in his face and he started stumbling towards Wade.

“Wow, I honestly thought you guys would be more of a challenge! Where’s my punishment, Daddy?” he said as he cracked another hit on Charlie’s face, this time shocking the man and sending him to the ground. Wade let go of the baton and picked up the gun again, not hesitating as he shot both men in the head before grabbing the card off the ground. He looked at the kid on the ground and groaned. He was going to have to be a good guy. His body felt so tired already and he knew he didn’t have much juice left to even be walking around, but he mustered enough to lift the kid and head to the closest hospital. As he walked, the kid opened his eyes for a few seconds.

“Hey, take it easy. What’s the name of my brave savior, kid?”

“Peter… Parker…” then his eyes closed again and he slumped in Wade’s arms. Peter Parker, huh? Good thing he had a name for the hospital now.


	16. Reunion IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MY LOANS WERE ACCEPTED, HAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Okay, just run it by me again why exactly you’re in a hospital?” Peter looked Tony up and down.

“Shouldn’t you be in one too?”

“Hey, don’t change the subject. Why are you in here again?” Tony tried to ignore the fact his arm was aching and that he probably should be in a hospital instead of walking around. Peter got into a fight with a small gang and survived somehow, he needed to know as much as he could.

“I already told you, I got lost and some guys tried to jump me. This other guy, I forgot his name, but he saved me. He was almost hit with this weird electric baton, but I grabbed a trash lid and took the hit instead. I think being electrocuted might have fried my brain a bit because some of the memories after I ran off are fuzzy.” Peter rubbed his head and tried to force his mind to clear the fuzziness, like amping the definition on a video, but it didn’t work. It just resulted in more painful throbs.

They had their moment of relief when they saw each other again, it was like the stress of the world was taken off each other's shoulders. It was immediately ruined though by Tony getting parental and interrogating Peter on why he was in the hospital. 

_ Tony’s phone rang and he rolled his eyes, ready to argue with May again when he saw the caller ID was different. It wasn’t a number he had saved. He glanced at Happy and Pepper with wide eyes before slowly pressing the answer button and putting the phone to his ear. The roar of New York traffic slowly left his focus as he spoke. _

_ “Hello?” _

_ “Hi, is this the guardian of Peter Parker?”  the voice was female and sounded non-threatening.  _

_ Tony’s eyebrows scrunched together. How did the person know Peter? And how did they know Tony was his guardian? _

_ “Yes, this is he.” _

_ “Your son has been admitted to Saint Anne's Hospital, he was brought in by a young adult who said they were jumped by a small gang. One had electrocuted Mr. Parker. Your son woke up for a second to give us this number before he fell unconscious again, his condition has been stabilized. You can come to sign him out as soon as possible.” Tony felt a stress headache coming on, this one would be a doozy. His temples almost throbbed to the beat of his heart. _

_ “Thank you for the call, I’ll be there soon.” He hung up and blankly stared outside the windshield before turning to Pepper. _

_ “Peter’s in a hospital, he was jumped.” Tony’s tone was dead, although anyone who knew him well enough could tell the distaste and self-hatred creeping up inside of him. How could he protect the kid when he can’t even protect himself? _

_ “Tony, don’t do that. You didn’t know any of this would happen.” _

_ “Pepper, remind me when we get back to California that I need to call an emergency press conference. Also, call May and tell her where Peter is, please.” _

_ Pepper raised her eyebrows, clearly taken aback. _

_ “Okay, I’ll make sure it gets put on the agenda. And I'll call May right now." _

_ The car ride was silent after the phone call as they drove to the hospital. When Tony got Peter’s room number, he nearly ran to it. He burst in to see the kid sitting up and sipping on water. _

_ “Tony!” Peter clearly wanted to get up to hug the man he sees as his father, but he couldn’t with the IV inside of his arm.  _

_ Tony strode over and gave the kid the biggest hug he could with one arm. He could feel tears prickling at the edge of his eyes. _

_ “What were you thinking, running away from your aunt like that?!” _

_ “Uhh, I wasn’t?” Peter tried, giving a face and raising his shoulders in a half shrug. He wasn’t sure if Tony was buying it.  _

_ Tony accepted that answer because at least the kid admitted he didn’t do the right thing in that situation. _

_ He let go of the kid and scanned the room for a second. _

_ “Where’s the person who brought you in?” _

_ “Oh, him? I’m not sure. He must have left after they got me in a room.” Peter gripped his head in pain. _

_ “Everything is fuzzy, I can’t even remember his name.” _

_ Tony opened his mouth to ask more questions when May ran into the room and gave Peter her own bear hug. _

When Tony was disappointed that the person who brought Peter in had left already, he wanted to thank him for saving his kid's life. Pepper was watching the display of father and son love, and May was on the other side of Peter’s hospital bed trying to wrap her head around what had exactly happened.

“Yeah, that’s not surprising. You’re lucky your heart wasn’t affected too bad though, you need to be more careful! I’m going to make some device that lets Jarvis be with you all the time. He’ll alert me if you’re ever in trouble.”

“Now that’s true helicopter parenting.” Peter smiled and lightly pushed Tony’s good shoulder in a playful way, still absolutely radiant that his dad was back and safe. Although he could see a faint blue glow coming from his dad’s chest; he’d definitely ask about that later.

“If you make a habit out of running away and straight into trouble, you’ll need the helicopter parenting.” May snorted in agreement with Tony and they were interrupted by the doctor coming into the room.

“He should be fine to leave and go home, although I’d take it easy. You too, Mr. Stark. Both of you need ample rest and time to recover.” Pepper and May shared a knowing look. Both of them knew that neither Tony or Peter have been good at resting, what with how they tinker late into the night.

“I’ll make sure they actually rest, don’t worry,” Pepper said to May and gave a little wink. May smiled in appreciation, she knew she could trust Pepper. 

May couldn’t stop the little bit of sadness and disappointment though that Tony was actually back. She was mostly relieved for Peter, she really was. She just never really understood why Richard and Mary didn’t leave him with family when everything went downhill. 

Looking at the way the boy smiled now at Tony, she decided she could put the questions to rest. Peter was home when he was with Tony and he could always visit May and Ben whenever he wanted to. Maybe somewhere, in a different universe, she had the opportunity to be his home.


	17. Everything is Subject to Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another update on me: i have now put an unnecessary amount of googly eyes on multiple things, such as my hat and my phone  
> i hope you guys are doing good, thank you for being so amazing and leaving kudos/comments!

“Hey, Jarvis? Could you send Pepper down here to help me with this?” Tony was staring at the new mini arc reactor for his chest, the realization slowly dawned on him that he would need help. A smaller pair of hands. 

“I’m sorry, Sir, it looks like Pepper is out. Shall I page Peter?”

“Uhh…” Tony needed help, but did the kid need to see this? He still hasn't even explained to him what the magnet was.

“I called Peter, he will be down here shortly.” Well, that settles that. 

Tony didn’t have to wait long before his son walked down the stairs. He was holding a book and reading it; if Tony squinted he could see it had something to do with physics.

“Hey, Dad, what did you need--” Peter looked up when he reached the bottom of the stairs. “Help… With… Um? What is this?” he put his book down on a table nearby as he hesitantly walked forward. Tony was laying on a medical table with his blue chest battery thing on display. Peter still wasn’t entirely sure what it was, Tony hadn’t talked about Afghanistan to him and he wasn’t going to ask. 

“It’s a new fashion statement. Like it?” Tony raised his eyebrow and Peter laughed awkwardly. Inwardly, Tony sighed. He knew he would have to explain everything that’s been going on now.

“Look, Pete, a lot of stuff has happened and has been happening,” Tony gestured for the kid to come closer, and he grabbed his hands. 

“Yeah, your hands are small enough. I’m going to need you to take this out. Carefully! Carefully. Okay, so what this is exactly is a magnet made to keep shrapnel from the bomb out of my heart. However, the battery is shabby and I made a better one,” he spoke as he guided Peter’s hands as best as he could. 

“Okay, now that it’s outside, I need you to reach in and take a specific cord out. Do not yank out the entire thing,” Peter yanked out the cords as soon as Tony said that, and his breathing became labored. The heart monitor went crazy and Peter was looking between Tony and the monitor wildly. 

“What did I do, I’m so sorry, what do I do to help, oh my god what is happening--”   


“Calm down, I’m just dying. I need you to hand me the new battery.” Tony spoke through gritted teeth and made a grabby hand toward the glowing object. His vision was starting to tunnel when Peter finally handed it to Tony, and the kid helped him set the battery in. The monitor immediately started beeping normally again and Tony could breathe.

“See? Not that bad.” Once they had both calmed down from the adrenaline highs they got from Tony almost dying, he knew he had to explain more to Peter.

“Do you know what Stark Industries made, Peter?”

“Uhh, weapons? Is this a test?”

“No, it’s not a test. Yes, we made weapons, but apparently, we had been dealing with both parties. I had this romanticised and cynical idea that we were making them to protect people, that you had to break a few eggs to do that. I was wrong, though. The weapons had been used for unnecessary destruction and killed so many innocent lives,” Tony’s voice went soft and he looked down at this hands. The hands that drew up blueprints of so many weapons. The weapons that ruined lives and families. 

“Is that why you called the emergency press conference? To talk about that?” Peter also spoke softly, so as not to spook Tony like a small animal. 

“Yeah, actually. You really do catch on fast. I shut down the weapons section of the company, because contrary to popular belief, that’s not all we do.” Tony remembered how chaotic the press conference was, how Obadiah said Tony wasn’t serious and they’d talk more about it later. 

“So that’s the controversy surrounding the company, and why you’ve given me a private tutor instead of letting me go back to regular school?”

“Yes. I’m worried about people figuring out who your father is, and what they’ll do to you.” He felt a hand touch his shoulder, and he looked up to see Peter’s smiling face.

“I understand, Dad. You’re doing it to keep me safe. After all of this blows over though, maybe I can go back to real school?” Peter didn’t have many friends, but he didn’t like being cooped up in the house all day. 

“We’ll see about that, kid. Go back upstairs and keep reading, I’ll be up in a little bit to make dinner.”

“Okay. Are you sure you’re okay?” Peter stopped as he grabbed his book and looked back at his dad, who looked so much more tired than he ever had before.

“Yeah, I’m all good.” Tony smiled reassuringly. 

“Okay, I’ll see you in a sec. What are we having for dinner?” Peter called over his shoulder as he walked towards the stairs.

“Homemade green chili burritos and rice.”

“Hell yeah!”

“Language!”

Tony could hear Peter’s laughter as he went up the stairs, and he felt a warmth bloom in his heart from being home. He hoped he could keep this warmth and happiness safe.


	18. Maybe Everything Will be Okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am so sorry for my long absence. college hit like a freight train and living as an adult is way harder than everyone made it out to be. i hope everyone is doing good though and i appreciate you guys so much for sticking with me and this story <3  
> tbh im going off script now from the movies and comics, bc this is supposed to be my rendition, you know? its my story

The next day, Tony was walking around feeling physically better than before. Almost back to normal. However, he couldn’t get the image of all the weapons out of his head. He needed to do something. Something big. Something crazy. He was ready to shut down the weapon manufacturing center of Stark Industries, now he just needed a way to get rid of the weapons already out there.

All the time he spent at home gave him the opportunity to tinker around and create a new suit. A better one than the one he had to throw together when he was kidnapped.

The downside of all the time was that it also gave him an uncomfortable amount of time to think. There was always the voice in the back of his head, he has had it as far back as he could remember. It used to be bearable, his ego could swallow the insecurities, but now he was hardly coping with what happened. He had been so scared, so helpless. Who was he and how could he protect those people? How could he protect himself? How could he protect Peter?

“Jarvis, open up the schematics from my personal server. Run simulation five point seven again.” Tony had been running simulation after simulation with the suits he was making, attempting to make the best model that he could. He had a physical idea of what it was going to be, how it would look (except for the colors, he never had time for that). He wanted to quadruple check if his numbers were correct.

“Sir, may I suggest taking a shower and going to see the sun? And maybe your own son?”

Silent guilt crept up from Tony’s gut to his throat, causing it to clench. He stared with dead eyes as the simulation played out in front of him on the screen.

Of course he wants to feel the sun and see his son, he felt terrible for how distant he had been to Peter. However, he needed to get this done in order to feel comfortable being around people again. He needed to know he could protect Peter, and Pepper, and everyone else who he cared about. Any time he was around them, all he could feel was a looming doom that said their time was limited. That they would be taken away from him in one fell swoop at any second.

“Run the simulation one more time. I’ll go upstairs after.”

Jarvis would have sighed if he had the ability. Instead, he stayed silent and replayed the simulation. This one, among all the others, was successful.

“Will you go upstairs now?” the computer screen blinked off and Tony felt the burning behind his eyes.

He rubbed his eyes and blinked to get rid of the blurriness and nodded.

“Yeah. It’s around dinner time anyway. Hey Jarvis, will you start making schematics with different color themes? It’s time to look more closely at the cosmetics.”

“Forever your favorite part, Sir.”

“Well, what’s the point of kicking ass in a metal suit if I don’t look great doing it?” Tony halfheartedly joked as he moved up the stairs. He almost walked into Peter who had his headphones on and was tinkering with some strange lump of metal in the palm of his hand. Peter jumped at the sudden presence of his dad and the metal hit the ground with a clank.

“Aw, man. Hey, Dad.” He picked up the little robot and held it gently in his hand. It was unresponsive and Peter realized he had more work than he expected to make a small robot.

“Hey, kid. Whatcha up to?” Peter held out his hand so Tony could see the lump up close. It had two small eyes, two arms, and wheels on the bottom for movement.

“Just messing around, trying to get this guy to turn on. What are you up to? You’ve been in the basement all day.”

“I was just messing around down there too. Trying to create new products for the company, you know? Have to prove that I know what I’m doing by shutting down the weapons department.”

“Oh. Well, I believe in you. Maybe you could sell little robots?”

“What, like this guy? He’s too cute, I feel like that might sell too much. How would we keep up with the demand?” Tony ruffled Peter’s hair and held out his hand to look at the robot. He didn't want to hijack the project, but he also wanted to show Peter what he should do to give the robot power. 

“Here. Cross these two wires like this, and there you go.” The robot’s eyes filled with a warm glowing light as it came on. Peter looked on in wonder and snatched the robot back, turning it over in his hand.

“Woah. Thanks, Dad! I think I’ll name him Charlie.” The robot stared at Peter with its eyes and then slowly blinked.

“Chaaarlie?”

Peter was practically vibrating with excitement at that point.

“Yeah, that’s your name! Charlie!”

“Alright, don’t go yelling at it, you’re going to scare it. It’s getting to be dinner time, why don’t you go put it in your room and work on its programming later? Jarvis will watch Charlie.” He patted Peter’s back towards the stairs where his room was.

“Yeah, okay. Let’s go put you in bed, Charlie.”

Tony watched his son go up the stairs with the most enamored face. It was precious moments like this that he wanted to protect. How could he do that by himself? He can’t. That’s why he needs a metal suit.

"Wait. "Bed"? Did you make a tiny bed for him?" Tony followed Peter upstairs. 

It turns that Peter had, in fact, created a tiny bed in one of the drawers of his nightstand for the robot.


End file.
